Chapter 656: Fate Arises, Fate Ends
Little Fatty's father was very surprised by the kitten the delivery guy handed over.
"We didn't buy a pet," Little Fatty's father said.
Little Fatty's mother, standing next to him, seemed to have a moment of realization but also a look of disbelief.
"It's for room 1506, for Zhang Ximu. The last digits of the phone number are 8153."
"That's my phone number," Little Fatty's mother replied.
At this moment, Mumu had already run over, arms outstretched to take the cage from the delivery guy.
"It's the kitten my brother sent to me, no, it's the kitten my brother asked the immortal for..."
Before Mumu could finish her sentence, Little Fatty's mother covered her mouth, thinking some things are best said at home; letting outsiders hear would make them think they're crazy.
"My kitten," Mumu struggled to say.
"Could you please sign for this?" The delivery guy didn't care much about their conversation; he just wanted to finish this delivery quickly.
Little Fatty's mother looked down at her daughter, then reached out to take the cage.
Little Fatty's father asked, "Do you have the sender's contact information on your order? I'd like to thank them."
To his surprise, the delivery guy shook his head.
"This wasn't an order I picked up on my phone; I was just asked to deliver it."
"What do you mean?" Little Fatty's father was a bit puzzled.
The delivery guy explained, "I was delivering a meal and passed by a nearby pet shop when a handsome guy stopped me. He offered me two hundred yuan to deliver this pet to you. Naturally, I didn't refuse such a good offer."
"What did this handsome guy look like?" Little Fatty's mother asked curiously.
"Very handsome, with great presence," the delivery guy pondered, though he wasn't sure how to describe it.
"Any distinguishing features?" Little Fatty's mother persisted in her questioning.
The delivery guy thought for a moment and said, "He had a child with him."
"A child? What did this child look like?" Little Fatty's mother asked, her expression slightly excited.
"A little fatty, quite robust," the delivery guy responded.
When the delivery guy mentioned a little fatty, Little Fatty's mother had already taken out her phone, hurriedly opened the photo gallery, and pointed to a photo, asking, "Is it this child?"
The delivery guy took a glance and immediately nodded, "Yes, that's him."
"Are you sure?"
Little Fatty's father asked, raising his voice and looking skeptical.
"Maybe," the delivery guy, sensing the family's peculiarity, didn't want to argue and turned to leave.
"Wait, wait, you said the pet shop is where? ... I'll give you another two hundred yuan."
The delivery guy stopped, somewhat tempted, and said, "No need for the two hundred, it's really not that important... Actually, it's at the Tomorrow Pet Shop near your neighborhood."
Hearing this, Little Fatty's father turned to Little Fatty's mother and said, "You stay home with Mumu, I'll go have a look."
Then he told the delivery guy, "Give me a payment code."
Seeing Little Fatty's father's generosity, the delivery guy didn't refuse, took out his phone, and showed his QR code.
He kindly reminded, "If you're going to look for them now, it might be a wasted trip; they've already left."
"Left?"
Little Fatty's father froze on the spot upon hearing this.
Ignoring it, the delivery guy happily walked away after earning four hundred yuan on this trip.
Little Fatty's mother and Mumu were still standing at the door. Seeing Little Fatty's father standing still, Little Fatty's mother said, "Let's talk about it at home."
Little Fatty's father shook his head, unwilling to give up. "I should still take a look."
Mumu didn't care about any of this. She had already opened the cage and let out the kitten inside.
"Wow, such a cute little kitten, and it has a little bell on its neck..."
As Little Fatty's father was just getting on the elevator, he heard Mumu's joyful voice, and his tears welled up instantly.
In the end, Little Fatty's father didn't see the person he wanted to meet and returned home disappointed.
Seeing him like this, Little Fatty's mother seemed to understand and didn't ask further questions, only saying, "Let's eat, the food's gone cold."
"Little Huaihuai needs to eat too," Mumu said.
"Is it called Little Huaihuai?"
Little Fatty's father looked at the small, thin orange cat at his feet and casually asked.
"Yes, Mom said since it's a gift from brother to the baby, it should have one of brother's names, so it's called Little Huaihuai. But it's too thin, too small. When it grows bigger and fatter, brother will come back, right?"
"Yes, can you tell Dad more about how you saw brother yesterday? Dad likes to hear it."
"Okay."
Mumu happily squinted her eyes.
"Mumu wants to eat too—eat a lot and grow up quickly, so tomorrow she'll be big..."
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Uncle and Aunt only stayed in Si Ming for a day before packing up to leave.
Ruan Xiangqian couldn't stop them.
"There are pigs and chickens to feed at home; it's no good to be away too long."
Talking about this made Ruan Xiangqian angry. Did the family lack what little expense it took? The money he gave his brother every day was enough for the two to live comfortably.
But no matter what he said, his brother wouldn't listen, continuing his laborious life in the countryside.
Unable to persuade Uncle, he arranged for Xiao Sun to drive them back.
Unexpectedly, Uncle refused because Aunt got carsick, so they decided to take the train back.
Finally, Ruan Hongzhuang volunteered to take on the task of driving them to the train station.
Uncle was very pleased about this, and Ruan Xiangqian, seeing this, no longer objected.
The couple came primarily to meet Shen Siyuan. Technically, it was to approve the relationship, but it was also a sign of respect for Uncle.
The process ended happily, with Uncle being very fond of Shen Siyuan.
Uncle's standards were simple: he looked good, was well-built, and had a good presence.
Shen Siyuan was the masculine type, which perfectly matched the aesthetics of Uncle's generation.
On the way to the station, Ruan Hongzhuang drove, with Aunt sitting in the front passenger seat.
Shen Siyuan accompanied Uncle in the back.
Uncle was in high spirits, holding Shen Siyuan's hand and talking about his family.
Like his few pigs and the dozens of egg-laying chickens, they also had an orchard to tend to daily.
He invited Shen Siyuan to come back to the countryside with Ruan Ruan around the Chinese New Year if they returned to Si Ming. They had a feast for the pig slaughter every year, a must-attend for the pork banquet.
Uncle was exceedingly enthusiastic and in high spirits, chatting all the way to the station.
"You all head back, we can go inside ourselves, parking is inconvenient."
"When you get home, call me," Ruan Hongzhuang said without further courtesy.
"Alright, got it, go on back."
Uncle seemed energetic, but Aunt appeared lethargic even after such a short drive.
"Aunt, are you alright?" Shen Siyuan asked with concern, reaching out to support her.
"It's alright, much... much better..."
Aunt took a few deep breaths. Initially, it was just courtesy, but now she genuinely felt much better, with no nausea or vomiting.
Ruan Hongzhuang noticed Aunt's previously pale face had become instantly rosy, even with a hint of color, and turned to look at Shen Siyuan.
Shen Siyuan winked at her, giving her a knowing smile.